Dangerous bacteria, such as MRSA and E. coli, pass from hand to hand via the surfaces that people touch, like door handles, push plates, equipment, switches, railings, counters, and plumbing fixtures. To meet the needs of public spaces wherein conditions are ideal for spreading infectious bacteria—airports, schools, healthcare settings, amusement parks, recreation centers and more—Oasis International, the global leader in the design, manufacture, and distribution of clean drinking water systems, has introduced the first line of EPA-registered, antimicrobial copper touch points for its comprehensive line of water coolers and fountains.

Integral to the surface itself, the antimicrobial copper will not wash or wear away. Laboratory testing has shown that when cleaned regularly, products made from MD-Cu29 antimicrobial copper kill greater than 99.9 percent of bacteria within two hours and continue to kill 99% of bacteria even after repeated contamination—and will continue to do so for the life of the product.

Copper has been known for thousands of years to offer antimicrobial characteristics; however, after a groundbreaking study* proved copper’s ability to reduce infections, the ECRI Institute, the U.S.-based nonprofit health organization dedicated to researching the best approaches to patient care, listed antimicrobial copper as one of the top 10 technologies to watch.

Oasis International was founded in 1910 and, since inventing the modern-day drinking fountain, has continued to innovate. “Our Oasis water fountains provide safe, pure, and filtered water to guests in millions of installations worldwide,” says Jeff Chiarugi, CEO of Oasis International. “But, realistically, hand contact can transfer germs to the fountain’s surface. Our innovative products with copper shield components have the ability to continually kill harmful bacteria, effectively reducing the spread of disease.”